


Accidents happen...

by Einfach_Antonia



Category: One Piece
Genre: A little bit of angst, Accidents, F/M, Roronoa Zoro - Freeform, Storm - Freeform, Tashigi - Freeform, talk about suicide, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:55:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23917135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Einfach_Antonia/pseuds/Einfach_Antonia
Summary: Find out here what happens when a storm, an untalented Seaman Recruit and a Tashigi, which attracts misfortune like a magnet, come together.TRIGGER WARNING: Talk about attempted suicide!
Relationships: Roronoa Zoro & Tashigi, Roronoa Zoro/Tashigi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 20





	Accidents happen...

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to yet another One Shot of mine. I am saying it one more time:  
> TRIGGER WARNING: There will be a short part about an attempted suicide. Please skip or do not read the One Shot, if you don't feel comfortable with it.  
> Thank you ❤

**Accidents happen…**

With a heavy groan, Captain Tashigi dropped onto the bed in her cabin. The day on the ship had been more than exhausting. In addition to the tasks, paperwork and daily training, they had to secure the ship against an upcoming storm.

Of course, as a captain, Tashigi didn't necessarily have to be involved, but she had never been the one to let the others work and just watch. She preferred to help and was also a role model for the young soldiers on board. Even if she often had to listen to derisive remarks from Smoker, the man never lifted a finger more than absolutely necessary. She even did most of his paperwork.

But she had been with him long enough to let his words bounce off her; despite her recurring clumsiness, Smoker knew what he had about her and she knew he valued her.  
Groaning again, Tashigi turned on her back and looked at the ceiling; she was so exhausted that she just considered sleeping in her clothes. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the first flash of the evening through the window, and a few seconds later the thunder sounded.

It was probably only a matter of time before the storm would finally break. By the time the final preparations were completed, both the wind and the sea had increased significantly.

With heavy limbs, Tashigi got into a sitting position, her eyes fell on the wall behind her desk. There she had hung up the profiles of the most wanted pirates, including Roronoa Zoro.  
The man who humiliated her by his very existence. The man who thought he was better. The man who had saved her life on Punk Hazard. The man for whom she had developed ever more confusing feelings since her first meeting in Loguetown.

Tashigi put her head in her hands. It was the same game every day; during the day she was so busy that she did not think about the green-haired swordsman, but it was hardly evening and she came to rest in her cabin, her thoughts were only about this bastard.  
_The best thing to do would be to burn the poster._

It had taken a long time, but now she thought she understood why Roronoa had spared her life in Loguetown, but that didn't mean that she had forgiven him for it. Or the fact that he had fled from her in Alabasta or that he still didn't seem to take her seriously as an opponent.

Sometimes she even got the impression that he didn't respect her at all. Not that she really respected him; at least not as a person. But as a swordsman...  
It was hard to admit, but he was a fantastic swordsman. She would probably never be a real match for him. And that irked her, as much as the fact that she didn't know why he had saved her life on Punk Hazard.

Tashigi looked thoughtfully under her blouse at the now healed injury, only a scar was left. Had he only saved her because she still reminded him of his dead childhood friend? Or because she was more important to him than he wanted her to believe?

She did not want to go on with this second option, otherwise she only gave herself false hope. With a deep sigh, she dropped back into her pillows. She was perplexed with so many things that often affected Roronoa Zoro; but she now knew one thing with absolute certainty:  
Somehow she had fallen in love with the outrageously handsome pirate.

She smothered her cry of despair in her pillow, not realizing that she was bending her glasses. It was said that a girl always looked for a man like her father and even if Tashigi tried to fulfill as few female clichés as possible; she had made it this time.

* * *

Whenever Zoro closed his eyes, he saw her lying pale and lifeless in the snow; saw her pink coat soak up her blood and turn red. Whenever he closed his eyes and saw this picture in front of him, he felt this irrepressible fear that she might die. Even now that he knew she was fine, or at least she was when she and good old Smoker left Punk Hazard.

Why should anything have changed? Chopper had taken good care of her ugly wound and in the end she had run around again and looked after the children. So why shouldn't she be fine now? And why should he care?

Zoro growled and gave up trying to sleep, instead staring at the ceiling. He wasn't the type of person who got so upset about an injured person, but everything that had to do with the spectacled Navy Captain hit a nerve with him. It had been like this from the start. Since Loguetown.

At that time he could still convince himself that she was constantly haunting his head because she had looked like Kuina. Now she didn't do that anymore and he wasn't even sure if that had ever really been the reason.

A flash of lightning lit up the boy's room for a moment, the thunder followed almost immediately. The storm had picked up speed. Lightning and thunder seemed to separate every second, the rain pelted the deck and the wind whipped the sea, so that the Sunny was thrown back and forth like a toy. The crew had prepared the Sunny as well as possible for the storm in the early afternoon.

 _How is she doing? Is she out on the sea too?_  
When Zoro found himself thinking about her again, he bit the inside of his cheek.  
_This is just unreal!_

Captain Tashigi of the Navy was naive, clumsy, reckless and practically blind. She was a nobody, not worth a thought; so why was she buried in his brain?  
She was ambitious, fair and a very passable swordsman. Even if she would never be a real match for him, she had developed astonishingly since Loguetown and Alabasta. Zoro respected her iron will to constantly improve and become stronger. They were very similar on this point.

Sighing, Zoro sat up, he probably wouldn't be able to sleep. The events on Punk Hazard were weeks ago and Zoro just didn't understand that the encounter with Tashigi didn't let him go. It wasn't that she never haunted around in his head otherwise; no, even in his two years of training he had asked himself every now and then how she was doing and what mess she was going to put herself in, but he had never thought of her as intensely as recently.

 _Could it be that I..._  
Zoro didn't dare finish this thought. It was completely absurd, as if something could ever become of them. She was in the Navy and he was a pirate, and they were both too stubborn to give up their previous lives for each other.

He slapped his face hard with both hands. Now he was still thinking about it. As if Tashigi would ever feel anything but contempt for him...  
"Marines in sight! They are approaching from the east!", came Franky's voice from the intercom and woke the rest of the crew.  
Zoro grabbed his Katanas and took a quick step onto the deck. He just hoped it wasn't the ship of good old Smoker.

* * *

"Pirates in sight, Captain!"  
This exclamation and the stubborn hammering of the soldier on her cabin door pulled Tashigi out of her restless sleep. It took her a moment to figure out that she was in the middle of a violent storm on her ship.

"Captain?", the soldier called again, pounding on the door again. It was almost a miracle that she had heard him at all in this thunder.  
Still not quite herself, she put on her boots, grabbed her Katana, and stormed out of her cabin past the soldier onto the deck.

Despite years of experience, Tashigi struggled to stay on her feet; the planks were slippery due to the pouring rain and the ship was thrown back and forth by the waves. Tashigi was soaked to the bone in seconds. Due to the heavy rain and the fact that she was not wearing her glasses, she could not see Smoker anywhere, but suspected that he had taken a stand on the bow.

With big but well-considered steps, she made her way through the roaming soldiers and stood a little later next to her Vice Admiral.  
"It's the Straw Hat", Smoker growled, chewing on his extinguished cigars. Tashigi narrowed her eyes, but with the best will in the world only recognized the blurred outlines of the Thousand Sunny.  
"We will have caught up with them in half an hour", continued Smoker. She gave up her attempt to recognize the pirate ship and turned to her superior.

"Sir, with all due respect, but is it wise to hunt the Straw Hats during this storm?"  
Smoker didn't look at her when he answered:  
"I'm not missing out on the chance to grab the Straw Hats. We attack, whatever comes."  
Tashigi said nothing more, just wiped the wet hair off her face and tightened her grip on Shigure.

* * *

Seaman Recruit Yosha hated the life at sea. He had never wanted to join the Navy, and would never have done so if his father hadn't made him do it. As the only son of a high-ranking Navy Officer, Yosha had been drilled for the Navy from an early age, and his father simply didn't care that he never wanted to go this route.

To his unwillingness was added that Yosha was not particularly talented in any of the disciplines required for the Navy. Even with the thousandth shot he missed the target by a long shot, in sword fighting he injured himself more than his opponent and he knew nothing about navigating. Accordingly, he had been transferred from unit to unit, finally landing under the command of Vice Admiral Smoker and Captain Tashigi.

But only after the events on Punk Hazard and after they had dropped the children off. Now he was standing on this rocking ship that had just fired the first volley of cannonballs at the pirate ship; with his short sword in hand Yosha had no idea what to do.

The wind whistled around his ears, he could hardly see a meter through the rain, and the waves that kept breaking over the railing did the rest. Yosha did his best not to stand in anyone's way when he spotted Captain Tashigi on the bow. She had always been extremely kind to him and would definitely assign him a task.

Basically, his Captain was within hearing distance, but Yosha was sure she wouldn't hear him with the roaring wind, so he worked his way closer to her step by step. She stared angrily at the pirate ship not far away and had drawn her Katana. When he was almost behind her, he spoke to her:  
"Captain Tashigi?"

She slowly took her eyes off the pirates and turned to him.  
"What?"  
Another wave hit and raised the ship, stumbling, Yosha tried to find his balance. At the same time, his hope of never knowing what it felt like to stab someone was destroyed.

Like butter, his short sword penetrated his Captain's clothing and flesh. Her eyes were wide open, and even through the deafening thunder, Yosha could hear Tashigi groaning while dropping her Katana.  
Another jolt went through the ship, knocking the sword out of Yosha's hand, but not until it had cut forcefully through the young woman's flesh again. Blood spurted and the last thing Yosha saw was his Captain being washed overboard by the next wave. Then his Vice Admiral's hard fist hit him and everything went black.

* * *

Of course it was the ship of good old Smoker. How could it have been otherwise? The next half of an hour Zoro spent watching the Navy ship approaching them and mentally preparing to meet her again. Why Luffy didn't just give the command to flee was a mystery to him, but his Captain must have had his reasons.

They were missed by the first shots from the Navy by miles, which was not surprising given the stormy sea. Zoro drew two of his Katanas and loosened his muscles, then he spotted her. Just as drenched as he was, she was standing with Smoker on the bow, she too had drawn her Katana and stared at him.

He couldn't suppress a slight grin. Secretly he was even happy about this encounter, knowing now where she was and that she was fine. He had missed her, he had to admit it, even if it was just for himself.

Her ship was far from close enough to fight blade against blade, so they were content to stare at each other. She with the typical hostile look and he with his typical grin, which she would probably like to beat out of his face.  
_It's so good to see her again._

Then she suddenly turned her back on him, which he acknowledged with a frown. The next thing he saw was how she bent forward and dropped her Katana.  
_Shit! Is this blood?_  
His eye was wide open and he stared at her lower back, where a red spot spread faster and faster. Zoro froze. What was happening over there?

Within seconds he tried to judge whether he would be able to jump on the Navy ship. Before a decision was made, Tashigi was hit by a wave and pulled off board.  
Panic and adrenaline flooded Zoro's body at the same time. She would die. Now and here. Before his eyes.

Without further thought, Zoro dropped his Katanas and jumped into the raging sea. He heard his friends calling behind him, but it didn't matter. He had to find Tashigi, only that controlled his thinking.  
It was impossible to find Tashigi in the sea during this raging storm, but Zoro didn't waste a thought on it. She couldn't die!

The water was so dark that Zoro couldn't see the hand in front of his eyes, but he didn't need that either. He felt her, felt the life pouring out of her with a steady flow of her blood.  
It felt like a lifetime until he finally took Tashigi's hand and pulled her to the surface with him. He broke out of the water about ten meters from the Sunny, Tashigi's head was on his shoulder; he didn't know if she was still breathing.

Zoro had always been a good swimmer, but even he had problems in this storm. Not thinking, just working was the mantra in his head until he reached the Sunny and with the help of his Crew heaved himself and Tashigi on board.

He heard himself shout for Chopper as he ripped open the coat and blouse of the lifeless woman in front of him.  
"Shit", he swore when he saw the deep and wide injury just below her belly button. He couldn't tell if her chest was rising or falling, and wasn't sure if the wetness on his face came from the rain or tears.

"Come on, Tashigi", he shouted at her, "Don't do this to me, don't die on me."  
From the corner of his eye he saw her hand twitch and a sob escaped him. Now he was sure that he was crying.  
"Zoro, she has to go to the sick bay immediately", Chopper said, running ahead.

Zoro fended off Sanji's helping hands and picked up Tashigi, stumbling and following Chopper.  
"Today is a very bad day to die, do you hear?", he growled. The last thing he heard was Luffy's voice:  
"Get us out of here, Franky."

* * *

Before Tashigi even opened her eyes, she knew that she wasn't lying in her bed on the Navy ship. However, she knew she was on a ship. That told her the gentle rocking, but the mattress and pillow were too soft to be her own.  
But where was she? And how did she get here?

With difficulty she managed to open her eyes, she saw a movement from the corner of her eye, but could not see anything specific. Where were her glasses? A door opened and she heard someone say:  
"Chopper! She wakes up."  
Tashigi's eyes widened. Chopper? Wasn't that the Doctor of the Straw Hats?  
_How did that happen?_

Was she on the Sunny? She tried to sit up, but immediately unknown pain flared through her abdomen and her air was gone.  
"You should only move slowly. It will be a while before your wound heals", she heard the Doctor next to her say. Tashigi turned her head and narrowed her eyes. It was not the first time that she cursed her poor eyesight.  
"Here, take them. Usopp made you glasses. "

The reindeer pressed something into her hand and she put it on, then the world was sharp again.  
_They are even better than my old ones_ , she thought, and looked around. It looked like she was in a sick bay and there was really one of the Straw Hats next to the bed.  
_So no imagination. I am on the Sunny._

"I have to change the dressing, if it's okay with you?", Chopper asked, smiling uncertainly at her.  
Tashigi still didn't understand anything, but she nodded and Chopper threw back the covers. She was wearing an almost see-through white nightie, which definitely wasn't hers.  
"Are you in pain?", asked the Doctor while removing the bandage. Tashigi watched him, wondering what would appear underneath.

"Only when I'm moving. But I have an ravenous hunger. "  
"I'm not surprised, you slept five days. Sanji is already making you something to eat."  
_Five days? That... Oh my god!_  
Her eyes fell on the wound that stretched a good ten centimeters up from her intimate area to her bellybutton.  
"Can you remember anything?"  
Tashigi shook her head.  
"You were stabbed by one of your men."

That surprised her. What reason should one of her men have to stab her? She dropped her head back onto the pillow and began to ponder; and suddenly everything was back.  
The storm, the overtaken Thousand Sunny and Seaman Recruit Yosha. Groaning, Tashigi buried her face in her hands.

"If Zoro hadn't fished you out of the sea, you would probably be dead now", Chopper said, tightening the bandage. Tashigi's head snapped up again.  
"Zoro saved me?"

* * *

The next day after Tashigi ate several decent meals and almost pleaded on her knees with Chopper; not literally, she would never have come back up with the stitched wound, Chopper reluctantly allowed her to leave the bed and the sick bay.

Nami had already told her during lunch in the kitchen that they would reach the next island in about six weeks and that they would let Tashigi leave the Sunny there; Nami didn't know what had happened to Smoker and her ship, but Tashigi was sure that her Crew would be fine.

It was also Nami who lent her underwear and clothes; at the moment she was wearing a light blue summer dress, which was too short and too low cut for her taste, but still better than nothing. She'd tried pants first, but they pressed too hard on her stitches.

Tashigi didn't really like being stuck on this ship for the next few weeks, because although the Straw Hats were different from the other pirates, they were still pirates. And she usually arrested them and didn't have lunch with them or borrowed their clothes. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful for the helpfulness, it just went against so many of her principles.

After a much needed nap, she set out to explore the ship. It made her feel like an old woman, because her stitches made her unable to walk particularly straight or particularly fast. Climbing stairs was also a very special thing and there were an infinite number of them on the Sunny. In the end, Tashigi reached the deck and the first thing that caught her eye was Roronoa Zoro, who seemed to be asleep leaning against the railing.

It was the first time since she woke up that she saw him. He hadn't even attended the meals, which the Straw Hats normally took together, so she gave herself a jerk and made her way to him. Even if she would like to not do it, her good upbringing required her to thank him.

"Hello", she said as she leaned against the rail next to him. Zoro opened his eye and looked up at her; he didn't make a face, just grunted and then closed his eye again. Tashigi suppressed a frustrated sigh.  
_The guy doesn't make it easy either._  
As she searched for the right words, her eyes fell on his Katanas. Her heart grew heavy when she thought of Shigure. She had dropped it and she hoped it hadn't gone overboard too.

Tashigi gave Zoro a half-hearted kick, which caused him to look at her again.  
"What do you want?", he growled.  
"Chopper said you pulled me out of the sea."  
"So what?"  
She touched her stomach unconsciously, right where the wound started.  
"He also says that you donated some of your blood to me."  
Zoro just shrugged.  
"You needed a few liters and I had some over. No big deal."

She knew that blood transfusions were becoming more common, but it felt strange to know that Zoro's blood was now flowing through her veins.  
"Well", she started, "Thanks anyway."  
Zoro seemed to be appraising her, then got up with a sigh.  
"Tell me, what did you do to make your own people choose the mutiny?", he said. Tashigi gasped.  
"I didn't do anything at all, and besides, it wasn't a mutiny, it was an accident." He looked at her amused.

"You were accidentally stabbed? Heaven, you magically attract misfortune."  
"I can't do anything for the inability of others", Tashigi said, straightening up, which she immediately regretted because her stitches were pulling. Zoro just continued to grin at her, which just infuriated her even more.  
"Why did you save me at all? You could have just let me drown!", she yelled.

All signs of amusement disappeared from Zoro's face and then he roared at her:  
"Why do you even want to know?! No matter what I answer, you will never feel anything other than hate and contempt for me anyway!"  
While Tashigi was still flabbergasted and didn't know what to say, Zoro turned on his heel and headed for the kitchen.

Tashigi stamped her foot furiously and ran after him as fast as she could, which was not particularly fast. He had already left the stairs when she reached the first step.  
"Hey! Wait!"

Unwilling to let him go, she overestimated herself and fell. She let out a loud cry as she fell lengthways up the stairs and felt her wound open.  
"Shit!", Zoro swore and she heard him come back down the stairs. When he wanted to help her up, it was too much for her.  
"Don't touch me!", she yelled at him, leaning on all fours. She could feel the fresh warm blood running down her body.

"I never hated you, okay?", she started. Tears of pain and anger ran down her face. "And I never despised you either. Not really. I just never understood you. Shit, I still don't understand you, but I want to. That's why I asked you. I also know that I am not a real opponent for you and that I probably will never be, but that shouldn't stop me from measuring myself against someone stronger and getting better. Because that's the point, isn't it? To improve or to die at some point in the fight. Or not?"

Tashigi didn't look at him. Didn't want to see his face.  
"Or not?", she repeated.  
She felt Zoro put his hands under her armpits and lift her up. Instinctively she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his lower body.  
"Hey", he said as he climbed the stairs again, "I didn't give you so much of my blood so that you could ran around and lose it right away."

Somehow she was grateful that he didn't say anything about her outburst, but just brought her to Chopper. And if she hadn't known better, she would have meant that Zoro held her even closer and took a deep breath of her scent.

* * *

"I didn't think you were as reckless as Zoro. Because he never rests when he's wounded too."  
Zoro did not listen to Chopper's lecture and watched the doctor re-stitch Tashigi's wound.

He expected to be kicked out of the room by her immediately after putting her in the sick bay. After all, she was only lying in front of him in her underwear, but so far she hadn't said anything and didn't even speak to Chopper. She just lay there staring at the ceiling, still with tears in her eyes. Zoro hadn't wanted to upset her with his words, nor had he expected such a violent reaction.

"You will lie down and rest for the rest of the day", Chopper said firmly, covering his patient. Again, Tashigi did not comment, just turned on her side and closed her eyes.

Chopper motioned for him to leave the sick bay, but something made him want to stay. He didn't want to leave her alone now just like he did not wanted to leave her alone when she wasn't conscious. In the five days she had passed out, he had almost never left her side. He had had to listen to tons of ridicule from the rest of the crew about it, but it didn't matter. He had never been so afraid of losing someone in his life.

It felt like he was going to die himself, even when Chopper was absolutely certain that she was over the mountain and was going to be perfectly well, this fear had not disappeared. It was only when she woke up yesterday that the fear had subsided. Now she was here again and somehow it was his fault.

First Punk Hazard and then the storm... Tashigi had to almost die twice before he realized that he had hopelessly fallen in love with her.  
"Zoro, come! She needs rest", said Chopper.  
Zoro took one last look at the Navy Captain. She seemed to be sleeping. With a heavy heart, he followed the Doctor into the kitchen.

* * *

It was in the middle of the night and completely dark when Tashigi awoke from the fact that the door to the sick bay opened. She opened her eyes a crack; guessed it was Chopper who wanted to check on her again.

Tashigi couldn't see much, but the person approaching her was too tall to be Chopper. The closer the visitor got to the bed, the clearer he became. Roronoa Zoro. She quickly closed her eyes again and pretended to be asleep.  
_What is he doing here?_

She heard him take a chair, put it next to the bed and sit on it. She felt his eye on her. Why did he do that? Did he want to guard her and make sure she didn't sabotage the Sunny? That was completely absurd; she could hardly go to the toilet alone, how could she do something stupid to harm them?

When she heard a choked sound from him, her eyes widened almost in surprise. Was that a sob? Was he here because he was worried about her? It couldn't be!  
_Or?_

The sound repeated and this time she was quite sure. Roronoa Zoro was crying. At her bedside. Because of her?  
Tashigi acted on impulse. With her eyes still closed, she felt for his hand and took it. As expected, he immediately stiffened and tried to evade her, but Tashigi didn't let go; just squeezed his hand harder.

 _It's OK. I am fine._  
And as if he had heard her, he relaxed and wrapped his two hands around hers. None of them said a word, but Zoro no longer bothered to suppress his sobs.

* * *

Since Chopper had strictly forbidden her to go anywhere alone again or to move too much at all, Tashigi had spent a lot of time last week getting to know the Straw Hat pirates better.

She had been with Franky and Usopp and watched them tinkering; had been listening to Brook's music. She had watched Sanji cook and Chopper prepare his medicine. She had been talking to Robin about her favorite books in the library; had listened to Luffy telling stories of his previous adventures and his dreams, and Nami had enjoyed braiding her hair and dressing her up every few hours.

It was amazing how easy it was for Tashigi to forget that she was actually in the Navy and the pirates were her enemies. But the Straw Hats made her feel like she had always belonged to them; as if they were old friends. Only she hadn't really spent time with Zoro, at least not during the day.

He still came to the sick bay every night and sat with her. Every night she took his hand and they clung to each other; they never spoke a word and Zoro had not cried again. It was strange and Tashigi didn't really want to know what it meant, but without Zoro's quiet presence next to her bed she slept badly. She knew she was only falling deeper in love with the green-haired man, but she didn't know how to stop it. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to stop it at all.

"He is nice to look at, but just not my type."  
Tashigi turned her head to the side and looked at Nami. The navigator was lying next to her on a sun lounger, wearing only a sheer bikini. The weather had been fantastic for two days and the women on the ship had spent their time sunbathing. Tashigi had still been able to fight Nami's attempts to force her into one of her skimpy bikinis. She preferred the short clothes a thousand times over.

"Who?", she asked the woman next to her.  
"Zoro", Nami replied, nodding in the direction of the swordsman.  
Tashigi followed the nod and for a brief moment her breath stopped. She had always known that Roronoa Zoro was a handsome bastard, but now watching him in all its glory almost dropped her off the sun lounger.

He was wearing nothing more than shorts and since he was training under the blazing sun, Tashigi could see every single movement of his muscles. The sweat dripping down on him only made him look more attractive.  
_Nice is no expression at all... That's... wow_

"You don't have to be particularly likeable to be intimate with him", said Robin on Tashigi's other side.  
The spectacled woman frowned, it wasn't as if she hadn't had any experience with men, but she had never slept with a man for whom she felt nothing.  
"That's right, but I'm sorry for the woman Zoro gets at some point. I don't want to have such a grump at home", said Nami. Robin laughed softly.

"I believe that our guest turned our swordsman's head."  
Tashigi's head snapped to the black-haired woman.  
"Excuse me?", she gasped.  
"Roronoa Zoro would not jump into a raging sea or donate blood for every Navy member. He also saved you on Punk Hazard more than once. So you seem to be close to his heart."  
"Yeah... When you passed out, he didn't leave your side. What's going on between you?", Nami intervened.

Tashigi felt how she got smaller and smaller under the eyes of the two women. She herself had no idea what was going on between Zoro and her and she would do shit and ask the swordsman about it. The last time she asked for an explanation she had fallen up the stairs and he had been sobbing at her bed that night. She decided to seek her salvation by fleeing.  
"Hey Usopp! Could you walk me inside real quick?"

* * *

When Zoro came to Tashigi's room that night, she wasn't lying under the covers as usual, but was sitting cross-legged against the wall, staring straight ahead. The swordsman hesitated in the door; didn't know what to do now. Did that mean she didn't want him to sit with her today? Actually, Zoro hadn't had a clue why he had come to her the last few nights anyway.

He did it the first night because he felt guilty about her opening her wound again. He had wanted to disappear immediately when he realized she had been awake, but she hadn't let him go. When it came to Tashigi, he didn't recognize himself; all of his decisions were irrational.

He didn't know what had gotten into him to howl in her presence. He only knew that he enjoyed their nightly company. He liked to hold her hand and listen to her deep breaths when she was asleep.  
"Come in. Sit down", her voice tore him out of his indecision; he did as he was told.

They were silent for the next few minutes, which was not unusual. They hardly ever spoke to each other, even during the day. However, Zoro felt that today it would change.  
Tashigi sighed and stretched her legs, he was not missing the fact that she grimaced. Her wound must still hurt her.

"Will you tell me at some point why you always save me?", she asked quietly.  
Zoro looked at her, he had always guessed that she would come back to it again. He had racked his brain for an answer, but hadn't found one. Except that he loved her and never wanted to live in a world without her, whether they could be together or not. But he couldn't tell her that, could he?  
"You are more important to me than you think, I guess," he replied, whereupon she looked back.

"Is it because of this dead friend that I look like?"  
Zoro understood that this suspicion was obvious, but he shook his head. No, he had understood long ago that, despite all the similarities, Tashigi and Kuina were two completely different people. He saw how it seemed to work in Tashigi's head; expected her to keep asking and he was actually considering whether to just trust her with his feelings. It couldn't be worse than her refusing him and hating him even more.

However, he hadn't expected Tashigi's actual reaction. She knelt on the bed, slowly; her wound still affected her movements, leaned forward, and rested her hands on his thighs. Before Zoro could say anything, her lips were on his. He opened his eye in surprise; not in a million years would he have expected her to kiss him.  
She released the kiss after only a few moments and everything in Zoro screamed for neither to hold her, instead he just stared at her.

"What...", he started, but she interrupted him by kissing him again. This time he reacted faster, he closed his eye and leaned into the kiss. Again it was Tashigi who released the kiss, he couldn't read the expression in her eyes, but when she pulled him into bed by his collar, everything seemed clear.

* * *

When Tashigi opened her eyes the next morning, Zoro was already gone, but his smell was still in the air. Tashigi covered her face with her hands and thought of the previous night.  
_What did I do?_

No, she hadn't had sex with the green-haired man, even when she pulled him into her bed. Oh, they had continued to kiss and how they had kissed; she felt how swollen her lips were. She had kissed him first, but why? Tashigi took her hands off her face and looked at the ceiling.  
_Because he didn't save me, because I remind him of his dead girlfriend._ That meant that he had saved her for her own sake, that she meant something to him. He had returned her kisses, started some himself, that told her that he felt similarly to her as she did to him, didn't he? He hadn't just wanted to sleep with her, otherwise he would have kept pushing her after she made it clear that they wouldn't have sex that night. But Zoro had accepted it without discussion and just held her in his arms for the rest of the night. With a sigh, Tashigi breathed in Zoro's smell deeply before she got up grinning happily. She had completely ignored the fact that she would leave the Sunny and return to the Navy in about three weeks.

* * *

Unlike Zoro. Now that he had a rough idea of what Tashigi was feeling for him, he was only more aware that she would soon leave the ship and him. And that fact was heavy on his stomach. He didn't want her to go. But he also knew that he couldn't force her to stay on the Sunny. Zoro was certain that Tashigi would never leave the Navy for him and he would never abandon his Crew for her. He loved her, yes. Appreciated her life higher than his own, but gave up the Crew and dream for her? No way. With a sigh, he ran his hands over his face.  
_What a dilemma.  
_

* * *

"Can I ask you something?"  
Tashigi was almost asleep when Zoro's serious tone made her look up. Her head was on his chest, but now she looked him in the eye. Would he ask her about sex now?  
They had been sleeping in the bed together for a week. Kissed and cuddled, talked and got to know each other better. But Zoro was just a man, and she had felt more than once that he wanted more.

Or would he ask her to stay? The closer the next island came, the more she pondered this question. She knew that Zoro would never give up his pirate existence unless he was the best swordsman. And she would never ask him to give up his dream.

But would she give up the Navy for him? She had worked hard for her current rank, had to put up with a lot of bullshit in the Navy as a woman, and she and Zoro hadn't even discussed what all those kisses and touches meant. As long as they didn't, Tashigi wouldn't find an answer.

"You said something back when you fell up the stairs."  
Tashigi smiled.  
"I said a lot then."  
"It was about dying."  
Her grin faded and Zoro's eyes seemed to pierce her innermost core.

"Have you ever tried to kill yourself?", he asked.  
Tashigi hadn't expected that at all.  
"Apart from fighting against stronger opponents, you mean?", she asked.  
He didn't answer her, just kept staring at her. Tashigi sighed and sat up, her back to him.  
"Yes. Once."  
Zoro also sat up and wrapped his arms around her from behind.  
"Why?", he asked quietly.

"I... Because...", she started and took a deep breath, "My parents were never married or really together. Whenever my father was around, he would spend a few hours with my mother. When he found out about my existence I was already two months old. He was and still is a swordsman, who never intended to settle down and start a family. Of course he supported my mother financially and stopped by every now and then, but basically everything got stuck on my mother. I started sword fighting because of him to impress him and build a relationship with him. But I think he never really accepted me, I was just there. When I was fifteen he was visiting again and I was so angry with him for not wanting to fight me. Not even as an exercise. My parents were in the kitchen and, if I remember correctly, my mother preached to him that he should do more with me while I cut my wrists in my room. "

Tashigi felt Zoro grab her wrists and instantly feel her scars. They could not be seen in everyday life unless you knew of their existence. The result of a good doctor and time. However, they were still to be felt; small bumps directly above her arteries.

"I don't think I really wanted to die", she continued quietly, "I guess my main concern was my father's attention. My mother raged and screamed hours after I was taken care of by a Doctor. However, my father didn't move an eyebrow; he just stood next to my mother and stared at me. He left the same evening and six weeks later my mother sent me to the Navy."

Zoro tightened his hug and she leaned against him.  
"Never do such a stupid thing again", he whispered.  
Tashigi felt warm at the words and smiled.  
"Promised."

* * *

Zoro knew that Tashigi and he were living in a bubble that was about to burst. Because in five days they would reach the island where Tashigi would leave them.

Luffy had offered her to stay more and more often in the past few days, but she had always smiled and never commented. He and Tashigi had been talking a lot lately, not just at night, but also spending a lot of time together during the day. But none of them had brought up what was between them or what would become of them. If they had a future at all.

Even now Zoro didn't want to raise the subject; they had just slept together for the first time and now Tashigi was sitting with nothing else on her body than his shirt on his lap and smiled blissfully at him. He didn't want to ruin that moment by reminding her of her imminent goodbye. He was just too happy for that.  
Her fingers ran along the scar on his chest.

"Is that the one that Hawk Eyes gave you?", she asked.  
Zoro nodded.  
"That was his way of teaching me a lesson." Something changed in her eyes, even if he couldn't say exactly what it was.  
"How was the training under him?"  
"Hard, exhausting. But worthwhile", he replied.  
Tashigi grunted and continued to look at his scar.  
"Did you ever meet him?", Zoro asked.  
She looked away from his chest and looked at him with a smile.

"Once in a while."  
"Did you challenge him?"  
The woman on his lap nodded. A grin spread across his face.  
"What did he say about it?"  
Tashigi sighed and looked at him insulted.  
"He refused every single challenge." Zoro jerked Tashigi around eliciting a surprised outcry from her.  
"He just didn't want to deface your beautiful body", he whispered and started kissing her neck. Zoro knew her well enough now to know that she would be upset about it now. How good that he now also knew how to get her to remain silent.

* * *

"Come on deck, friends. We have a visitor", Franky's voice came over the intercom. Reluctantly, Zoro released his lips from Tashigis and sighed.  
"Who can that be?", she asked, getting up from her bed.  
He shrugged his shoulders.  
"Not the Navy, Franky would have said that. Maybe someone from the island."

Zoro thought he saw a sad glow appear in Tashigi's eyes. Tomorrow their six weeks would be up, tomorrow they would dock on this island and Tashigi would disembark. Even though the entire crew had noticed that there was something between him and the Navy Captain and they had to listen to a lot of jokes because of this, but they still hadn't spoken about their options.

They were both the last to come on the deck and when Zoro saw who was their visitor he stopped so abruptly that Tashigi groaned surprised and ran into him.  
"Ah Zoro", said none other than Dracule Mihawk.  
_What does he want here?_

Hawk Eyes focused on him with his piercing gaze.  
"I have a few questions about a... Tashigi?!"  
She must have stepped out from behind Zoro's broad back, but Zoro couldn't take his eye off Hawk Eyes. He had never seen him so shocked.  
"Father."  
Zoro heard several of his neck vertebrae crack as his head whirled around to Tashigi.  
_Father?!_  
But the young woman was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Tashigi only stopped in the library again; breathing heavily, she put her hands on her knees.  
_What does he want... What does he do... Why?!_  
She felt Zoro's rough hand on her back and started to calm down.  
"What is he doing here? What does he want?", she asked.  
"He wants to see you."  
"But why?"

"I don't know", Zoro replied, forcing her to look at him, "You never said Hawk Eyes was your father." She looked at him bitterly and with tears in her eyes.  
"I am his bastard daughter. An accident. He has forbidden my mother and me to talk about him being my father. God, he forbade it to my entire home island. To protect me, he says. So that his enemies cannot blackmail him. Bullshit, I say!"

Zoro hugged her tightly and she gratefully clutched him for a few minutes, then she broke away from him.  
"I shouldn't keep him waiting any longer."  
"Can I do anything...", Zoro started.  
"Please stay close to me", she whispered and received a kiss in response.

When she stopped a meter from her father, Tashigi felt everyone staring at her on the deck. She was so grateful to Zoro that he was right behind her.  
"In the Navy, you are officially considered lost at sea", said Hawk Eyes, eyeing her from head to toe.

"They didn't see how Zoro jumped after me?"  
"No. They were too busy beating up the Seaman Recruit who stabbed you."  
"But it was an accident", said Tashigi softly.  
"I found that out too", replied her father, "Smoker informed me about the happening that same night."  
Tashigi narrowed her eyes.  
"How does Smoker know about you?"

A slight grin crept onto Hawk Eyes lips.  
"I told him when you were assigned to him. So he'll take care of you whenever I can't. I've been doing this since I know about you."  
She didn't know what to answer and just looked at him. Her father pulled something out from behind his back and Tashigi felt a heavy weight lifted from her shoulders when she recognized Shigure.

"It was pure luck that it was not washed overboard. You should take better care of it."  
"I was busy bleeding to death, sorry", she answered snappily, holding out her hand for her Katana. But he pulled his arm back.

"I know you think I don't care about you", said the world's best swordsman, "But that's not the case. I care about you, I was just so young and unprepared when you came into my life. Everything I did was done for your own good. I never wanted you not to feel loved, I never wanted to hurt your feelings. I am happy and grateful that the Straw Hat pirates took care of you."

Tashigi was speechless. There they were. The words she always wanted to hear from him and she absolutely didn't know what to say. Her father held out her Katana again and she reached for it.  
"Thank you", she said in a breaking voice and she knew he understood that she did not only thanked him for giving her back her Katana.

"I can take you to your ship and crew today. If that's your wish", he said with a significant look at Zoro.  
_Hour of truth_ , Tashigi thought.  
In the past few days, every single crew member had expressed the wish for her to stay. Everyone but Zoro. But did she really need a spoken confirmation from him? Wasn't every kiss, every touch, every second together enough to understand?

"Contrary to all my expectations, I found something on this ship that I learned to love. Someone I learned to love. My mind tells me to return to the Navy immediately. But it would be foolish not to listen to my heart and that tells me something completely different." Slowly Dracule Mihawk stepped to the rail and smiled at his daughter with satisfaction.

"That means I couldn't find you?", he asked.  
"You couldn't find me", Tashigi confirmed only to be immediately pulled into a big hug by Zoro.  
"Does that mean Tashi is staying with us?", Luffy asked.  
Zoro grinned at her from one ear to the other.  
"Yes, Luffy! It does!"


End file.
